Streamer Nightmare.

[@mtbg4035]

I had a Vitus ri-101 with a meitner-ma3(11k streamer). I got rid of both after trying out the Bel Canto ACI-600. It wasn't as sparkly on top or as holographic as that setup.. but it was close. What I did gain was a more thick, liquid, musical sound. I found it more enjoyable and spent less time analyzing the music with the Bel Canto.

[@greatlookinglandscap]

sweet yup ever since I bought e1x it changed my life and my thinking of what is possible in audio.These black devices are simply unbeatable as “fully integrated systems”.I also had the black ex here.That is one hell of a piece of audio you have and should be proud as it will compete with the big boys all in one beautiful design

[@mtbg4035]

@@greatlookinglandscap Oh and by close I mean reaaally close! Thank you, I've really enjoyed it. Makes for a great looking, minimalist setup with no sacrifice. I'd love to try out an e1x. I wish these they had more reviews out there for these units so more people would see how good they are. I know YG Acoustics uses Bel Canto in all their new active speakers, I suppose that speaks loudly enough. YG's are incredible.

[@greatlookinglandscap]

ahhh do not need reviews! owners are the best reviewers💪nothing beats hands on experience living with something for a substantial amount of time.Not getting in for views🤣there are some reviews of e1x integrated all very favorable.Nothing can touch it for the money for what it can offer the user.No way.I will always revisit how much joy owning this machine brings after 3 decades of owning dozens of separate systems,components and applications of them.

[@tburke6591]

Antipodes is a great company for streamers also. Prices have gotten pretty high, but older models are easier to afford.

[@greatlookinglandscap]

I am very aware but have never owned.My dealer carries both Innuos and Antipodes I am waiting to hear what he thinks regarding the overall digital experience a higher end say 5k ish antipodes offer comparing to similar price point via Innuos.I do know you get what you pay for or companies would be out of business if they did not deliver that

[@tburke6591]

@@greatlookinglandscap I find some Antipodes models are more versatile with storage space. You can install different size storage yourself. That's the only problem I have with Innuos. I like both companies, because they both offer Squeeze-lite interface.

[@tburke6591]

@@greatlookinglandscap I like both Innuos & Antipodes because they both have Squeeze-Lite interface as an option. I preferred Antipodes, because some models allow you to install how much Storage you need. Seems the Innuos is more limited. Although I'm sure a NAS can be used, but that means adding another device to the chain. I'm curious why both these companies feel USB is the best output ? I was always understanding that it was the nosiest output. Thanks for the video.

[@BobbyBass-x6i]

Thanks for the video. I agree with going with separate components. I’ve done that over the past few years after coming back to a music only system. It’s easier to upgrade if you want. I like tweaking my system and separates allow that without paying for things you don’t need and duplicating equipment. I bought an Innuos Zen Mk3 used from an excellent local dealer based on your recommendation and it sounds excellent paired with my Holo Audio Cyan 2 DAC. They both do what they do very well and nothing else (well the Zen does have a CD ripper with 1TB storage) so for about $3K I’m set with an excellent streaming setup. I Rarely play CDs anymore since Qobuz has just about everything, it sounds excellent and it’s so easy to use from my iPad. Happy New Year!

[@greatlookinglandscap]

I am very happy to hear it is working for you!

[@PhotographyInFlight4183]

Happy New Year Shrink! Seriously looking at the PS Audio Airlens, dedicated streamer, no dac, runs a couple grand, U.S. dollars. Want to take advantage of the I2s connection which supposedly cleans things up on the clock and timing transfers of the digital signal. We'll see, two grand won't break the bank, and I think PS Audio seems pretty sincere in what they do, a mid-fi approach yes, because, I dont have ten grand for a dedicated streamer brother. I got a house to pay for😂. Anyhoo, love ya man, keep up the good work.

[@greatlookinglandscap]

Think it through as input isnt everything.I heard the word thin when describing the unit mentioned .It would make me afraid.Whatever move someone wants to make I always wish them the best.I recommend the innuos zen mk 3 if u need ripping or the pulse if not both bare bone and wonderful analog organic sounding with effortless weight.Its my promise

[@PhotographyInFlight4183]

@greatlookinglandscap Roger that Shrink, keep in mind I'm running it through a ten tube integrated amp, and then through Harbeth speakers, so I got a lot of warmth and thickness to right the ship so to speak. But you may be right, I let you know how it works out brother. Thanks again.

[@greatlookinglandscap]

Do that but bare bone unit is key own what u need not what you dont.

[@emanuelduke701]

I think your advice on a streamer's importance is spot on. I had the e1x, and it is indeed a great all in one component. After over 50 years of this hobby, I went back to separates coming out of the pandemic. I have a separate streamer and dac by Playback designs and digital needs are taken care of. A considerable expense surely, but now I am done. I would recommend purchasing a dac that has a variable output option, and can play straight into an amp, especially if they have not analog sources. Happy listening!

[@greatlookinglandscap]

Its good advice for sure high end dac can make a great pre.I knew this years ago through my own trials.I basically learn everything via hands on.KZbin is my vessel to share deeply and try and help not review.Happy New Year

[@Chris-nd5se]

I have a Volumio Primo streamer which cost £680 in the UK and I wouldn't say it sounded thin. It sounds as weighty as I would want it to aswell. Prior to this streamer, I had the Chromecast audio puck, which with cable cost less than £100 before it was discontinued and I wouldn't say that was thin sounding either. Makes me wonder whether it is worth spending any more. Having said that I may try an external power supply with the Primo as the one it comes with, is only a 5V switching power supply.

[@greatlookinglandscap]

Well I should of said thin in comparison because I never knew what real weight was till I got the innuos zen mk3.Again it is close to £3000

[@Chris-nd5se]

@@greatlookinglandscap I can see now that when you mention thin sounding, you are referring to the weight of the sound rather than the body of instruments etc. As I said before, I do not feel that I need any more weight to the sound in my system. If though, a better power supply, provides extra weight when matched with a less expensive streamer such as mine, I cannot see that a more expensive streamer such as your Innuos would be worth the extra money over my own ?

[@greatlookinglandscap]

ok.👍You never know till you try but my channel is about being happy with what we have.I only share where I have been and its streamers over 15 years from $200 to $8000.Some differences being significant some not.The innuos outperformed some even more expensive offering with its effortless weight ,organic and analog feel and it is the one I recommend under 5k.But again everything in the chain has to be up to that level

[@Chris-nd5se]

@@greatlookinglandscap Thanks for the comment Shrink. You have a lot more experience than me in terms of listening to equipment in the higher priced bracket and in comparison to less expensive products. I'm sure the Innuos is an excellent product and also at it's pricepoint. However, in my case, I am aware that I have not got the perfect set up conditions in my room as my listening position is right up against the back wall. I also have a fireplace between and behind the speakers which potentially will affect the soundstage produced by the speakers ? It is probably not worth someone investing in more expensive electronics, unless they are able to position their speakers correctly and have a suitable listening position so as to achieve a good soundstage. I understand that you are also trying to get the message across to audiophiles to stop changing their equipment and be happy with what they have which is admirable. Anyway I continue to enjoy your channel and wish you a happy new year 😄

[@greatlookinglandscap]

Great reply and smart.No ones room is perfect and must work with what we have .But room is so very important that its up to the individual if they want to to undergo this sometimes very costly journey.

[@CarlVanDoren61]

BS Node N130 is versatile 😊 Eazy power supply upgrade App is Android friendly 😊

[@greatlookinglandscap]

good piece for swimming in a certain depth of the audio pool

[@mikeeygauthier2959]

If the SOURCE is WRONG, everything else will be WRONG! Are those speaker stands adjustable height?

[@greatlookinglandscap]

yes for different speakers that come in

[@mikeeygauthier2959]

@@greatlookinglandscap totally agree with adjustable speaker stands! Ilove this for tweaking such as Iso acoustics Gaias III or granite plinths under the stands or thick air dried maple top shelves. Are thethese store-bought or homemade?

[@DragnetSound]

The Node Icon has the newest dual ESS dac built in and I'm impressed with it. It also now plays DSD and xlr which I like . The screen is nice but didn't really need it though.Love my Node Icon. If I had the funds I would definitely get the Bel Canto, but I think I'm done after I get a preamp. Shrink's Rollin' out the videos for sure.🎉 🎉Happy New Year 🎉🎉

[@greatlookinglandscap]

Enjoy brother!

[@tubefreeeasy]

I use a Mac Mini. I feed a linear power supply into a usb hub. I use a BluDento dongle that raises my DAC’s Bluetooth from AAC to aptX-HD. I have xFinity as my cable provider. They have WiFi signal booster pods. I suggest placing a pod as close to your computer and maybe a streamer. Use an extension cord, if necessary. I’ve notice an obvious difference since having my pod plugged into an adjacent wall. The signal is much stronger in audio fullness. It was so powerful, I needed to slightly tap down my digital EQ a squee bit. It works great with a computer and I see it working great with a streamer.

[@greatlookinglandscap]

That is an interesting way to go about a digital front end but just to much goin on for me as you know I am the less is more place

[@tubefreeeasy]

@ I’m just offering some curious findings. Happy New Years, Dave!

[@greatlookinglandscap]

Keep em coming as I love the differences as to how people enjoy.Happy 2025!

[@Roof_Pizza]

Ordered a FIIO S15 for 1k USD. Arrives next week.

[@greatlookinglandscap]

Nice, enjoy it!

[@julianc.1811]

the streamer in my Black EX sounds very good. I'm curious if a seperate streamer would improve things, I doubt it. I've owned aurender and innous products when I had all separates (good stuff). But getting a separate dac or streamer (again) seems to go against the whole "all in one" thing the Bel Canto represents.

[@greatlookinglandscap]

absolutely my fellow canto lover.The streaming is excellent as I had my zen mk3 in the house at the time to shoot out and many before it when I decided you know what Im not losing anything here to worry about.My favorite part of the unit is phono stage its what surprised me the most coming from high end separates.The cantos are for people that have been down long rd of complexity and want simplicity with no loss of performance.An “all in one” there will be losses but with black series that took years to develop to be fully cutting edge integrated systems tuned to the SET 845 signature but without noisefloor.No afterthoughts in this design.They have done just that

[@petekutheis3822]

Sonore Ultra Rendu deluxe with outboard LPS is 1700.00 A plus model with external LPS is just 1100.00.

[@greatlookinglandscap]

I hope all is well!

[@DragnetSound]

I watch all your videos Shrink, just do what you feel is right, don't second guess yourself😊

[@guystpierrecomposer]

How do you stream to the A10? If it is with the hub, it is not a fancy streamer… I don’t have your experience, but for me the power supply on the hub made a good difference as well as the power cable for the A10 (add lots of weight and richness to the sound)

[@greatlookinglandscap]

its designed to work with wisa wireless technology thats what is implemented in the hub.They arent designed to hook other streamer dacs up to them its overkill as the tuning is superb in the internal amp dacs.I tried an $8000 streamer to run the a10 its a complete waste as the hub sounds just as good.If people are hooking stuff to a10 they bought the wrong setup and should build a full system

[@mariopenzo]

I have been telling you shrink, go IanCanada and forget about streamers forever.

[@greatlookinglandscap]

I do not have a streamer 🤣I have a beautiful bel canto e1x integrated that serves all my needs.I believe you that one can build great things.Happy New Year

[@carminedesanto6746]

Thinking taking Ian up on my Denafrips DAC upgrade 🤔

[@mariopenzo]

Do it, his SC-cut clocks are amazing. I have those on the Q7 reclocker. Belive it or not I turn the PLL off on my Holo May KTE DAC. The IanCanada reclocker does better than the May at keeping digital jitter free.

[@kobush18]

But you are wrong! Streamer is one dimensional device and we need multi-dimantional experience and in that regard steamer fails to do it .

[@greatlookinglandscap]

I feel that is a blanket statement and disagree.What streamer and dac combo have you owned and what sources and system are giving you the 3 dimensionality?Please share

[@tedkay5272]

😂😂😂

[@kobush18]

@@tedkay5272 what i meant by one dimensional experience is that you only hear the sound , but in real life when you go to a live show of your favorite artist or group or jazz session you also see them with your eyes , seeing is believing and it's an important for elevating the total experience, I don't think you'll agree to be in live show blind folded for reduction in price ticket , otherwise you can hear the same music in your place without all the fuss. Yes I have a streamer but generally i prefer to see the picture (video) too , it can be on KZbin premium or tidal ( they also have video clips content) KZbin is under appreciated but the sound quality can be excellent, my friends are also astonished how good it sounds (the streamer is new LG tv that probably have very good chip set in them ) streamer can be better if the material you play from tidal is recorded good enough (which in most cases are not good enough). I love to see and hear my favorite songs (whenever possible) even if it means some sacrifice in sound quality i prefer sound that rate 8 but with pictures on sound that rate 10 but without picture , one dimensional against two dimensional (sound alone against sound+picture).

[@khunopie9159]

I prefer the old angle. More artistic

[@carminedesanto6746]

Wiim pro streamer and your DAC ☺️👍

[@greatlookinglandscap]

It wouldn’t be for me I have been playing in a certain depth of the pool for years.You get what you pay for with tried and true bare bone streamer designs

[@jazzkatt7083]

$9k-10k for a streamer?!! It’s not so much the money but streamers mean you’ll own nothing. And you’ll still have to pay for service. FYI: Streaming killed Hollywood.

[@greatlookinglandscap]

Yes it is out of my budget new but great deals pop up on used market time to time.Happy New Year

[@charleskatz2606]

Yo man your channel is confusing.I started with the Orchard streamer and amp and saw the TT (nice rig) and thought "How can he play his wax?:Then I saw the Totems next video the Buchhardts. Then you mention a Bel Canto streamer.How about a video where you mention what gear is there ,how it's used, etc at least for duration of the videos that have been posted,You need not tell me about grandpas KLH all in one from the 70's but having a hard time figuring out where you been where your going.Hey BTW the alternative at a reasonable price to the Pecan Pie+ (though Leo seems like a great guy and somebody to be supported) is the Volumio Primo plus and power supply.You see I agree that operating the streamer might be the way to go.

[@greatlookinglandscap]

Welcome.My reference system for years is a very simple one the Bel Canto e1x integrated which does everything,Pure Fidelity Horizon Turntable with Ortofon A90 cartridge,Spatial Audio Lab M3 Triode master open baffle speakers.The other equip is bought to simply discuss some gets bought off used market some sent in by manufacturers.I think if you watch more of my prior videos you will find some of the answers your looking for.I have a certain style not really getting into technical stuff that can be found on the websites but meaning its straight off the top from the heart of just knowledge gained over 30 years and an embarrassing amount of equip.Hope you hop on for the ride.I have a small but solid following.I do lives every Friday at 4:30 pacific time and always leave a notification a couple hrs before.Maybe join we can discuss lots there

[@DavidMindyMcGinnis]

Esoteric N01 xd se is a dac with a streamer its first class

[@greatlookinglandscap]

Thats a serious piece .I would believe that.One would have to spend a fair to get a top performing combo.I get that all actually with my bel canto e1x integrated amp believe it or not buy ya that is a serious piece.I would be pretty hard on it if I bought it may even need to wipe my hum and do the dishes for that money it damn well be great

[@pacificateur3630]

Remember guys , a streamer is just a dedicated computer to streaming. I can assure you Bel Canto, Naim, Hi-fi Rose, can produce quality and performance in a single enclosure shared with a well implemented dac inside. 😊

[@greatlookinglandscap]

PSU is very important in a streamer hence the superb innuos perfomance via Sean Jacobs implemented psu.And yes there all in one devices that produce reference sound but very very few especially mm/mc

[@arjunroy4555]

your Lumin T2 which I owned was an odd middle child, the D2/D3 is much better value as is the flagship X1 as far as streamers, power supplies are everything as you have mentioned, Innuos still charges serious $$$ for their good stuff with the proper power supplies, and their gear looks like dated video game consoles from the 90s my $1500ish CAD Bluesound Node X with flawless software (used as streamer only) and external sbooster competes well with the big boys, Volumio now has a new model with external power supply option around $2400 CAD all in as does magnahifi......these are all real meat and potato streamers that will perform without breaking the bank

[@greatlookinglandscap]

Happy new year and thanks for the great comment.I love the less is more aesthetic of the innuos.No screen needed just another thing to fail down the rd.The Sean Jacob’s internal psus are world class.There just great machines very analog and with effortless weight to the music

[@arjunroy4555]

@@greatlookinglandscap Happy New Year!

[@revelry1969]

Why did you delete the prior video? Keep em up 👍🏻. Good to read some comments etc. i am avoiding commercial streaming. I only stream recorded vinyl, rip CDs,SACD. I can’t stand the dynamically compressed, and lossy compression crap being streamed. Atmos is the only intriguing streaming method because it is forced to not allow dynamic compression. Streaming is for the birds and not for people who are serious about good sounding music. Sure you can get a MPD-8 Dac streamer etc but I shouldn’t need to spend 40g to stream something to make it sound good. I love my vinyl to DSD process and then stream those files locally. Streaming thru tidal and qobuz are just a convenience thing. They do not sound that great in general and how do you even know the supposed lossless is lossless. unfortunately the record company’s feeding the streaming files to the streaming providers are using masterings that are designed for wimpy phones etc. I had hi res streaming for about 2yrs with a high end streamer. Good riddance. Glad I am off that garbage.

[@greatlookinglandscap]

My opinion is obviously very different regarding streaming.So you say when streaming high res and both your and dac display the sample rate of 24/96 or 192 is lossy? even redbook it all sounds great.Dynamically compressed? I do not know what system you were listening to then or now but I just see it differently and thats ok.We enjoy different things

[@revelry1969]

@ shrink, you know hardware well. I know the software side and have spent many years figuring this stuff out. I am an engineer. There are 2 types of compression. First, compressed by file size (lossy with audio thrown out -psycho acoustically to save space like mp3 or lossless compress like flac). But don’t fool yourself there is file/size compression for sure whether lossy or not you can’t tell. I have never seen a stream that actually tells you the file source. Many streams are lossy. Look up the streaming codecs. There is all sorts of ways to hide behind the parameters. These streaming services have to stream lossy a lot because of the billions of streams running around the world. If their servers get bogged down the streams change. Machine loading and cloud computing comes into play. Supposedly there are “lossless” streams and they up sell people to buy a higher tier. But good luck figuring that out. The info that comes to you doesn’t say wav, flac, mp3 etc. It just shows sampling frequencies and bits. It’s a stream and all sorts of trickery in there to reduce bandwidth otherwise there would be hiccups all the time (even with caching). The second type of compression is dynamic range. The record companies started heavily dynamically compressing the music in the 2000s to boost the volume of the music to account for weak powered systems like phones, portable players etc. How many watts can your phone produce? Weak. This brickwalled compression is applied to raise the volume of all the music to a flattened level so the music can actually be heard in the quiet parts. The issue is that if you have a weak powered system (like a phone or portable player, cd all in one units)… the difference between loud and soft is all compressed into a narrow dynamic range. The music dynamics are crushed with the stream and thus no soul in the music. Many of these streams are DR6-DR7. The original music may be DR13 (vinyl or even CD) etc. The dynamic loudness is crushed by 50% or more. I don’t care what DAC you have you will never fix the streaming dynamic compression. You can’t ever get that dynamics back. This is why I mentioned atmos (stereo fold down) because it doesn’t dynamically compress and sounds much more like vinyl than the crushed streaming masterings. Garbage in =garbage out. It is baked in because most people are using phones or grossly underpowered amplification. Dynamic compression is the only way it works. Sure DACs/streamers can gussy up the signal and make a crap stream sound better but let’s face it…that is lipstick on a pig. There is a reason why you love your vinyl. Vinyl has physical limitations for compression and loudness and in general is a more controlled process to keep the dynamics in the music. Especially in the analog era…disks were cut very well. In the modern digital era disk cutting has fallen into disarray as well… except for places like analog productions and the key cutting/mastering people involved (Kevin Gray, Ryan Smith etc). The streams are not mastered for full up stereo systems. They are heavily skewed for the standard playback equipment (like phones and portable equipment). Notice you to turn your vinyl up compared to your digital stream? The digital stream is so loud, slammed and fatiguing I can’t listen to a full album because of the slammed dynamics. The masterings on vinyl are just hands down better. Dynamics frequently better and much better stereo imaging etc. I can send you some vinyl rips compared to your digital streams that would make your jaw drop. Dynamic compression is the devil for us music enthusiasts. Sure everyone says my system sounds great with streaming…. How would you know? Instant A/Bs are required. Don’t get me wrong. Digital can be amazing. But streaming is heavily flawed. Us hifi enthusiasts are not the target market. I am sure yours sounds “good enough” for the moment. But there are better alternatives. I use streaming basically only for my phone (blue tooth atmos compatible) or my Sonos rig with atmos capability. All other digital is local streaming with DSD or selective picks of other digital things like SACD or CD. Love your stuff shrink…. Let me help you on this one.

[@greatlookinglandscap]

@@revelry1969its ok I am more of an on the surface guy thats painful enough.When I want convenience and ease of use I stream when I want to really engage with my music I play records.It is really all I need to know.Why do you not share this info on your own youtube channel it is simple to do and helps others.I am serious.Again a niche of its own for the people with deep technical knowledge that want to talk about it.Thats not me.I deal with the sick,the ones in denial or the ones that are headed there.I do not want that for anybody.Most that watch me are in between 45-65 and have been through the self induced audio ringer.It only stops when you stop it.It is a illusion a waste of energy to chase the so called perfect sound or system.Just when u think u got it the brain intervenes and says you don’t

[@revelry1969]

@ ❤️. I have often thought about a KZbin channel. I play vinyl because it sounds better to me and more care for sure in the backside mastering. It is a huge disservice to the art of music with these brickwalled masterings. Doing A/B it is very easy to hear. I have just been thru the ringer with streaming. I just can’t handle the brickwalled dynamics. Streaming has a place for sure in a convenience situation and when I am not particularly looking for a heightened experience. I think eventually all this streaming will go to Dolby Atmos (with stereo fold down available). Shrink…you are the man.

[@greatlookinglandscap]

@@revelry1969I am just here to tell my truth from the heart.I really do want to help people.Your knowledge is valuable but do not let this drive you crazy brother.It really can be harmful